EXCLUSIVE RITCHIE BLACKMORE REFUSES TO TAKE THE STAGE IN HOLLAND DUE TO INCORRECT NUMBER OF CARROTS IN RIDER13th July 2012

I've got a Mandrake Root, It's some thunder in my brain...

Blackmore's Night played De Vereeniging in Nijmegen, Holland on Wednesday night but the gig very nearly didn't go ahead after Ritchie initially refused to take the stage.

The guitar wizard apparently threw a wobbler because the correct number of carrots had not been provided in his backstage rider.

Article continues below...

Ritchie had asked for twelve of the orange horn-like root vegetables but shockingly only received eight.

Luckily the staff at the venue found a late night grocer who provided the four missing carrots and the show went ahead as planned.

The carrot gets its characteristic and bright orange colour from β-carotene, which is metabolised into vitamin A in humans when bile salts are present in the intestines.

Lack of vitamin A can cause poor vision, including night vision, and vision can be restored by adding it back into the diet. An urban legend says eating large amounts of carrots will allow one to see in the dark.

Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow released the albums 'Straight Between The Eyes' in 1982 and 'Bent Out Of Shape' in 1983. Whether there is any hidden carrot meaning in these albums is now up for discussion.

The Dutch grocer was unavailable for comment at the time of publishing.